


know your place.

by unofficialpoltergeist



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Basically, EriSol - Freeform, Eridan Ampora/Sollux Captor Black Romance, Fight Club - Freeform, Kinda, M/M, Master/Slave, Not Humanstuck, Profanity, Street fighting, Thug Life, Violence, captor/ampora - Freeform, eyebrow wiggle, fighting then fucking, harcore af, have fun reading, i had fun writing this so yep, ill add more tags later maybe, mentions of mituna/cronus, not really actually, oh well, um v gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 07:32:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3111353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unofficialpoltergeist/pseuds/unofficialpoltergeist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Captors have been in the Ampora family for a few generations. Bred to win, the freshest Captor face, Sollux, is finally forced into the fighting business, by the next-in-line Ampora, Eridan.<br/>*not humanstuck*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Inaugural Fight

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if the fight scenes are garbage  
> also the rape/non-con is a warning for later chapters, the rest is consensual (because it should be)

Sollux awoke from his restless sleep, as if he could sleep at all in these quarters. The area he was given was only about a 6x7 maximum, and he shared it with his dad, Mituna. Which was awful for two main reasons, a. it was cramped and sweaty, and b. Mituna was interesting, to say the least. He was only twenty-eight, but lifespan was drawing to a close, street fighters like us generally only live to thirty, if they're lucky. The strange things about Mituna become very obvious once you begin speaking to him. His body tends to jitter often, like tremors are shaking through it, and he thrashes his head violently before recomposing himself to the best of his ability. His speech is either mumbled or yelled, with words mispronounced and random letters and sounds shoehorned in. It happened a long while back, back when he was supposed to begin Sollux's training. He took a few awful blows to the head, and one popped a circuit or something because he returned different. It didn't help that Cronus was his owner; Cronus beat the living shit out of Mituna for causing him the loss of so much money. Cronus was seen as a disappointment in the rest of the Ampora ancestry for not upholding the family name out on the streets. This occurrence also led to the Ampora-Captor teams to be thrown back to the bottom of the chain, leaving the newest duo to have to work their way back to the original, respected seat.  
Throughout all stems of street and underground fighting, the Amporas and the Captors were well known. To fuck with them was considered like fucking with royalty, and it was something you did not do. If you could prove you had a connection with an Ampora, you were golden, untouchable. Before Cronus' generation, even the Captors, the lowly yellow bloods, were allowed to walk the streets. The families claimed to be locked in a feud, but the relationship between them has very much been mutualistic. Amporas get the dough, Captors get royal treatment. That was how it worked, that is until Cronus fucked it all up.  
He was brought up too harshly, it really wasn't his fault. He would wail on Mituna too much, even after winning a fight Mituna would get hit for not executing a move properly. The effects of Cronus' beatings showed through in his combat, and Mituna's value wore down far too quickly. When the accident happened, it left Cronus partnerless and Mituna permanently out of the ring, which meant no more money. Which meant Sollux was to be brought up in a shitty cell and trained harder than ever to bring them to the top.

He rubbed at his eyes; today was his first fight. He had been training for all fourteen years of his life, basically brought out of the womb throwing punches. Getting up from the straw bed, he abandoned Mituna in the dismal "bedroom" to go to the even worse "kitchen." The kitchen was basically a barbeque pit, with a single, brick lined cylinder going half a foot out of the ground and filled with logs and materials for burning. Above it was a spit strung between the two spyders, a single black pot to cook all of their food in. If they didn't eat it raw anyway. A bench was on either side of the pit. If they needed supplies or anything other than the "food" they were given, they'd have to venture into the owner's mansion and ask permission. Which hardly ever happened, and when it did the answer was hardly ever a yes.  
But this morning, it shocked Sollux to see his master standing by one of the rotting wood walls. He immediately bowed his head and stopped his movement. "Sir Ampora, I had no idea you were to be in our quarters. Excuse the state of our quarters, I would've-"  
"Can it, Sol, I'm here alone." Sollux raised his head and took a seat at one of the benches, yawning.  
"Alright." Eridan eyed his slave before debating whether or not to take a seat at the other bench. Deciding it was too filthy for his highblood clothes, he straightened up and squatted in front of Sollux.  
"I need you to win out there, got it? You've been training this whole time. I need you to win. You need to win. I don't have any power over Cronus, so nothing is stopping him from treating you like Mituna, and that will tarnish my reputation. You need to bring me to the top, you hear?" He held the slave's chin tightly between his thumb and forefinger, staring directly into his eyes.  
"I got it, okay? I'll do fine." Sollux released a shaky breath and blinked hazily, not bothering to return the ferocity in Eridan's gaze. "It's going to be fine."  
Telling Eridan it was going to be fine was the only thing calming his nerves. _It's fine. I said it was going to be fine, I wouldn't lie to my master, it's going to be fine._  
Eridan stood back up, not without giving Sollux a sharp slap. "Don't forget your place, slave. We're not friends."  
Sollux winced at the slap but dared not make a sound. He just forced a nod. "Yes, sir."  
"Good. As soon as you finish eating, come wait outside the rear door. You need more preparation." his master paused at the door, then strode back across the yard to the mansion. Sollux rubbed his eyes again and started to make something edible for breakfast, before deciding there was no way he could eat. Mituna stumbled in, pushing his mop of hair out of his face.  
"Slolux you gotta eat," he mumbled, watching him consider breakfast. "Its yur firts match."  
"I'm not hungry." Mituna took a seat next to him on the bench, doing his best to be fatherly. He was never good at being fatherly, mostly because he never wanted to have a kid, especially not at the age fourteen. Especially without knowing the mom and being forced to.  
"Look, you gotta ear somethin, or yull be straving when you go to fght. You need to be at the tops of your game, no weaknecessities," he stuttered, combining words. But his son understood and nodded.  
"I guess. I just can't eat."  
"You're certaintly gonna fail if you donut eat. Come on." He made breakfast for the both of them, delicious bowls of tasteless, watery oatmeal.  
They ate in silence, Sollux working on calming down before whatever preparation Eridan had in mind for the fight ahead. He finished first, rinsing out his bowl with the hose and placing it on the shaky table. "Thanks for breakfast, MT. I'll catch you later."  
Mituna gave him a wave and he left, fiddling with the top of his pants as he went across the yard. The rear entrance was put in for the sole purpose of getting to the slave quarters, split into two halves so the master didn't even have to open the lower half to get their attention or to call them to retrieve their food. It was the beginning of fall, the slightest chill nipping at his exposed grey chest. As if he noticed; Sollux was far too nervous. If anything he trembled with anxiety. _How was Eridan to know when I am out here? Should I... should I knock?_ He hesitantly raised a fist, about to bring it against the door when it swung open. He immediately dropped his hand and folded it with the other behind his back, lowering his head. "Sir."  
"Sollux. Let's go." Eridan grabbed a larger horn on the bowing troll's head and yanked him in. He led a path through a maze of rooms til he found the one he was looking for and threw the troll from his grasp. Sollux stumbled a bit, catching his balance and waiting for any further instruction. The room was ten by ten, give or take a bit, and bare save for a table in the middle. Shutting the door, Eridan fixed his glasses and folded his arms. "What do you need to prepare for the fight?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I said, what do you need to prepare for the fight? A shower? Real food? Sex? More practice? Sleep? Name it." Sollux was taken aback. _I am the slave here, right?_  
"Oh," he thought about the offer. Hell, he could use all of those things. "Food. I want a proper meal, for Mituna too. Meat. A drink besides water."  
"Really? That's what you go with?" Eridan shrugged. "I figured you'd be more interested in other options, but it is your wish. I'll go get him. Wait here."  
He left, leaving Sollux alone in the room. He leaned against the table, skeptical of Eridan's sudden pleasantness. Their relationship was a hell of a lot better than the prior generation's, but by no stretch of the imagination were they friends. Eridan didn't make Sollux treat him like he was a god all the time and didn't hit him, and in return Sollux followed orders and complied to the best of his ability. Eridan still got the better end of the exchange, because he wouldn't hit Sollux anyway, but the unspoken deal worked well either way. But this was something new. Never had this happened. It was probably because this was the inaugural fight, that was the only thing Sollux could figure.  
Mituna was shoved into the room, catching himself on the table. Eridan followed, then a butler with two chairs. He sat them on the opposite sides of the table, bowed to Eridan, and scuttled away. Eridan gestured to the chairs. "Go on, take a seat."  
The two did, Mituna cautiously eying Eridan. He leaned over the table and whispered to Sollux, "Do you have any idea what this is about?"  
Sollux kind of shrugged. "Sorta. I think it's cause today's my first fight."  
The other considered this and sat back. The room was painfully silent with no one daring to make a sound. Finally, there was a knock at the door, causing Mituna to jump slightly in his chair. Eridan pushed himself off the wall and opened it, allowing in a stream of butlers pushing silver tables. The two slaves' jaws dropped at the sight. The food was laid out, a whole turkey, warm bread and butter, corn, a platter of meats and cheeses he couldn't even name, and a large bowl of soup. Two empty plates, two bowls, and silverware were pulled out and placed in front of them. Sollux's mouth watered. This was a lot better than oatmeal.  
"Well? Eat," Eridan commanded, resting back against the wall. The two needed no further prodding, instantly filling their plates with the delicacies. It all looked so good. They both abandoned their manners, as if they had good ones in the first place. They only knew how to behave within the mansion, but even that was gone. It was chaos. 

After over an hour, Sollux decided he could not eat anything else. It was by far the best meal he'd ever had. He could've passed out right there at the table. Mituna was still shoveling it in, an expression on his face that exceeded the definition of happy. That made Sol smile, to see his dad that delighted, but he had to go practice. After eating that much he felt he had gained 1,000 pounds. He stood from the table and walked to Eridan. "Sir, if it's all right, I think I should go practice."  
"Yeah, come on, I'll walk you to the shed," he replied. They left MT to the rest of the meal and left, Eridan guiding Sollux through the rooms. It was an endless trip until they reached the yard, then the shed. The shed was a tin shack distanced from the rest of the property, reserved solely for fighting. It had mud floors, three punching bags hanging from the ceiling, full water bottles scattered around the floor and bandages hanging on hooks lining the walls. The shack basically was Sollux's childhood; he recalled it in his earliest memory. This was where he grew up. When Eridan and he entered, he went directly to the wall and began to wrap his knuckles. First rule of fighting: always wrap your fists. Not only does it create a more abrasive punch, it helps keep the bones in your fist in line and grants overall more protection to the attacker.  
Sollux finished his handiwork and paused before stretching out; Eridan was still there. "Sir, is there something I could aid you with?"  
"Nope. Go on." the seadweller held his place by the door, watching expectantly. _what was up with him today?_ Sollux wondered as he continued his stretching, turned around but keeping his master in his periphery. He moved to one of the punching bags, working off the lethargic sensation eating had given him. He went through the basic routine a few times, going over his kicks and training his psionics accuracy. Panting, he took a break and a swig of water. Second rule of fighting: water is your best friend.  
"Lookin' good," Eridan commented from his spot against the door. Sollux looked up, having somewhat forgotten about his presence.  
"Oh, um, yeah, thanks," he said breathlessly, taking another drink of water. "Do you know how long we have til the fight?"  
"Two hours. You should probably not tire yourself out and rest for a bit." he walked over and joined Sollux. "You need to win. And I mean dominate. Make my name known."  
Sollux just nodded. "I'll do my best, sir."  
Eridan gave him a rough shoulder pat, and left him to his practice. Sollux took a seat on the floor, catching his breath. His nerves were still flaring in regards to the fight. He returned to his quarters and tried to busy himself by hosing off and tightening his fist wraps, but it was no use. The fight occupied his whole mind constantly. Eridan's strange behavior, his own concern for his dad, everything fled save for the upcoming combat. He had to win. He had to dominate. Eridan was in charge, and that's what he said. And that's what Sollux would do. 

The next few hours went by quickly, then halted and stretched out. Sollux spent them training here and there, mainly stretching and talking to Mituna, who was still happy from the meal. Mituna would explain whatever he remembered about fighting, like how to stay in the ring. Out of area was an automatic disqualification, so a lot fighters hoped to take advantage of that and attempt to push an opponent who is too strong for hand-to-hand contact out of the ring instead. Mituna also explained how to _get_ someone out of the ring, which was just as helpful.  
The thing that scared Sollux the most was that there was no "fighting dirty." You could pull hair, ears, use nails, jam your fingers in their mouth, shots to the nards, everything was fair game. Which benefited him greatly, because he could use psionics in the ring, that definitely would surprise some people. After all, they were just fighting dogs. Who cared what they did to each other, as long as the master gets the money? There were even matches where one player will try to humiliate the other, by pantsing him or teasing him. Those don't go over so well with the judges, they prefer action. Another tip from Mituna: keep the fighting constant. Never hesitate. It will lose you points and ground.  
Mituna explained all this to him in their quarters, sitting on the muddy bench. They were interrupted by yelling from the rear door.  
"HEY! You scum out there! Time to go!" it was Cronus' voice. Sollux could tell immediately by the way Mituna perked up, like a frightened dog, the cowered, as if Cronus were in the room instead of across the yard. Sollux patted him on the shoulder, offering the kindest smile he could. Given, it wasn't a very strong smile at all, but he had more pressing matters on his mind. He started across to the mansion, Mituna tagging along directly behind him. Cronus waited at the door, arms folded and cigarette lit. "'Bout time you showed up. I called you like twventy minutes ago."  
He almost raised a hand to Mituna but instead used it to open the bottom half of the door. "Vwell, get in you sevwer rats, it's time to go."  
They entered and followed him to the front of the manor, Where Eridan was standing, frowning at his pocket watch. Next to him stood a man Sollux had only seen one other time: Orphaner Dualscar. He was easily a foot taller than both his son and grandson, with tall hair, a swooping cape, and giant horns. Sollux felt miniscule and terrified of him; he looked like the kind of man to strike a killing blow with a single hit. Which made Sollux think he really ought to be bowing right now.  
So he did, not just his head but bending fully from the waist, mainly to avoid any even possible eye contact. Nope, the ground was fine.  
"Are you the youngest?" he barked. Sollux kept his composure and muttered an affirmative reply. "Look up when I talk to ya, and speak clearly!" Dualscar jerked his head up with his hand, bending down to stare Sollux in the eyes. "Do you understand me?"  
"Yes, yes sir!" Sollux squeaked, forcing his gaze to be steady. Mr. Ampora cracked a grin.  
"Hah, thatta boy." he released Sollux and straightened out, telling something to Eridan. Finally safe, Sollux scrambled for balance and took a step back. Thank god he was starting at the beginner's level, instead of where Mituna and his ancestors began, the highest. Thank you, Cronus. The three Amporas turned and had a hushed conversation about something or other, leaving him with Mituna, nerves still ablaze. Mituna was trembling, but for different reasons. After what seemed like hours to Sollux, the men turned around and Dualscar announced it was time to get going.  
Cronus walked in the back, making sure neither of the slaves pulled anything, Eridan walked beside Sollux, whispering strategies to remember and what he considered to be words of motivation, and Dualscar led the way, glaring at anyone who gave them questionable looks. The large radius of his lavish purple cape was enough to conceal the rest of the entourage, and it was definitely eye-catching. Those who were familiar with the street fighting top dogs bowed their heads and stood very far away, those who were unfamiliar did their best not to get in their path, because it was evident the group was not on the right side of the law. Again years went by, and again Dualscar announced they had arrived. The place the group stood out front of was quite literally a hole in the ground; it was composed of a frame of shaky wooden beams around rotten stairs leading down, down, down, so far down it turned into darkness. In they went, following the stairs deep into the ground.  
When they reached the bottom, it certainly was very different. It matched the entrance, but it was not what Sollux expected. The cavern was completely made of earth and easily a mile in diameter, the ceiling curving to give at least ten feet above even Dualscar's head. It was lit by lines of blazing torches wrapping around the sides. Stacks of bleachers lined the walls, filled with trolls of all different kinds. In the very center was a square of 5 foot chain-link fencing, the inside what could only be where they were to fight. Dualscar was immediately greeted by some babbling man with a thick beard and long stringy hair. He spoke rapidly and used a lot of hand motions.  
"Ah, Sir Dualscar, what an absolute pleasure to have you back in my humble arena!" Sollux overheard him saying. "Come back to work your way to the top? Very well, very well! New fighter! Of course! Another Captor, I presume!" he cackled. "This way, this way, please! The fight will begin so soon! I'll take you to the locker rooms. We've done a bit of remodeling, a bit hard underground! Ha ha! As I was saying, right this way! I assume you still know the rules of the arena? Ah, I'll say em again! Everyone should always know..."  
Sollux drowned him out. God, his voice was annoying. He led them along the wall to a door frame Sollux hadn't noticed before, and through it were two actual doors. He led them into the one on the left. Inside that one was a room lit by a single torch, bare save for a cabinet and a wood bench. The non-stop talking man bowed again and bid them farewell, scurrying off like he had other matters to attend to. Dualscar looked at Sollux and gestured to the bench. Sollux took a seat and waited, nervously toying the hem of his pants. Eridan sat beside him, no longer saying anything "motivational" anymore, just sitting in silence. The weight of the silence could have crushed them all, honestly. It was only broken as Dualscar rustled around the cabinet and produced a roll of medical tape and tossed it to Sollux, barking to rewrap his knuckles. He was happy to have something to keep him busy and automatically began removing the strings of bandages from earlier. It felt like all eyes were on him, since there was basically nowhere else to look in the dim room. He tried to stay concentrated on wrapping them to the best extent, tightening each strap and double knotting each knot. Dualscar bent in front of him, glaring what felt like right into his soul.  
"Listen, boy, if you blow this match, you're gettin' the same treatment as your old man. Not from Cronus, either. From me. Don't hesitate to use your grandpop's red-blue trickster shit. It's not against the rules, so use it until they consider making a rule against it. I want your opponent reduced to a half-conscious mess who can't remember his own name, ya hear?" he gripped Sollux's shoulders, holding his focus. Sollux just nodded slowly, ears ringing. Cheering and jeering alike could be heard from outside, and the booming of someone talking into a microphone. The crowd's volume increased and there was loud music playing. A short troll came bursting in, saying two words that made Sollux's heart jump into his throat and his stomach do backflips: "You're on."  
From then on it was a blur, the crowd hooting and hollering and even throwing things. Eridan was the one to walk him in, striding in front of him in Dualscar's huge cape and demanding Sollux keep an intimidating face in hushed tones. The torches seemed impossibly bright when he was standing beneath them in the ring. The person Sollux could only guess was his combat partner was standing in the opposite corner. He was fairly tall, a black mohawk cutting down his scalp. His mouth was bent into a creepy smile, a brown tongue, matching the bronze grubscars on his torso, snaking out to wet his lips. His horns stuck a foot in either direction, curling at the ends like a bull's. Eridan tore Sollux from his rundown of his opponent with a shake to his shoulder.  
"Sol, you've got this. I don't hope for much, but I'm hoping for this. Don't fuckin' let me down." he gave a hint of a smile and continued. "You'll get something after, if you win."  
 _I'll get something after?_ Sollux nodded. "It's not a problem. I'll introduce this asshole's face to the ground." he gave Eridan a real smile.  
"Watch your language around your superior, but yeah, that's the idea. Win, Captor, fuckin' win." he left the ring, followed by his opponent's owner, even more interesting than his slave. He was tall, gangly, and wore a faceful of clown makeup. His hair was a wild mess with two, wavy horns peeking out. Sollux thanked his lucky stars he didn't have to go against him; that guy was creepy as hell. He caught Sollux's stare and winked, emitting an onomatopoeia, "Honk."  
This dude just honked at Sollux. Seriously. He forced his concentration back to the fight instead of that weird owner. The announcer, the stringy hair man, was saying how this was the first fight and blah blah, we have the Ampora's from the top and the Makara's from the bottom, blah. Sollux's blood pounded in his ears, body alive and thrumming with adrenaline. The man gave a look to Sollux and his competitor, nodding, and stepped out of the ring. A sharp air horn blast signaled that it was time to fight.

His opponent, known as Tavros, circled first, keeping his smirk up. Sollux followed suit and the two made a slow procession about the ring, waiting for the other to strike first. Tavros shot out a fist, Sollux barely dodging and using the advantage to get in a blow to his side. His opponent staggered back slightly, but came back with all force and no strategy, winding up obviously and going for Sollux's gut. In return, the yellow blood grabbed his outstretched arm and flipped him over. Concentrating, he managed to control the flickering red and blue from his eyes and pin Tavros' wrists and ankles to mud floor. Tavros' eyes widened to the size of platters, his smirk falling from his lips, and he arched his back and tried to yank himself free of the glimmering restraints repeatedly, but he was hopelessly stuck to the dirt. The crowd roared, some cheering and some screaming foul play. Sollux crouched, resting a knee on Tavros' chest.  
"If you admit defeat, I won't have to beat your ass anymore than I have," he demanded, putting pressure beneath his knee.  
"Admit defeat? To, um, Ampora scum like you? I wouldn't," Tavros spat back, forcing against the psionics.  
"Tavros. Look at the position you're in. Do you want to keep insulting my master, or do you want to leave this match with your life?" Sollux replied, harshly digging his knee in deeper. Tavros let out a squeak and took a shaky breath.  
"No, I c-can't, face me in a, um, fair fight, see how cocky you are then, huh."  
"I trust you'll find I'm just as cocky against a worthless, weak bastard like you." He stood up and flicked a hand, the light around Tavros' wrists gone. He leaped to his feet as soon as possible, barreling after Sollux like a bull with, again, all brawn and no brains. Sollux easily sidestepped him and smirked. _This was going to be easier than I thought._  
The bull charged directly into a web completely composed of psionics, which was basically a solid. He bounced to the ground, confused as to what he hit. Sollux wasted no time swinging his foot directly into Tavros' head, knocking him right back down. He waited for him to get up; kicking a man when he was down was no way to win a fight. Tavros stood, seething and ready to strike. But Sollux made the first hit, colliding his fist first into the soft beneath Tavros' shoulder blade then the the side of his stomach, right into the grubscars. The other teetered, groaning. Those were definitely a sensitive spot. He retaliated with an attempted fist to Sollux's gut, but while Sollux was focused on his opponent's bad strategy and easy-to-dodge moves, Tavros landed a hard punch across his face.  
It was a damn good punch, Sollux could feel the welling up of yellow blood on his cheekbone. Asshole. He pulled a similar stunt on Tavros, feigning a right hit but delivering two to the left, one to his nose and the other to his stomach. Doubling over, he sputtered with one hand cupping his nose and the other gripping his gut. Sollux quite literally took the bull by his horns, grabbing the base on either side and holding Tavros' head steady when he rammed his knee into it. When he let go of the horns, Tavros toppled over, stifling a worse nosebleed. He climbed to his unsteady feet again, a look of pure, blind anger consuming his face. Letting go of his nose, he made a grab for Sollux's neck with bloodied hands. It was far too predictable. Sollux moved to the side and let him run into nothingness, loose balance and stagger to the side. Idiot.  
He growled and came for Sollux again, this time met with a roundhouse kick to his gut. Tavros spat out brown blood, coughing.  
"Oh, come on, these are my only pair of pants, you could be a bit," he interjected his sentence with another high kick, this time striking Tavros' face, "cleaner."  
Tavros grunted and stumbled backwards, wiping at his bleeding mouth and nose with the back of his hand. He blinked hazily, almost on the brink of unconsciousness. Just a few more strong hits would do the trick. Sollux came again quickly, using a sideways fist to press his thumb into the other's temple, which really threw Tavros for a spin. The pain blurred the edges of his vision, even caused streaks of black to zigzag through it. The only image he could make out was this Captor coming at him again, his one red eye and one blue glowing. He closed his eyes and let the next hit strike, this time in the neck. Sleep pulled at Tavros' mind, calling his name. It wouldn't be that bad if he gave in, right?  
Sollux saw his eyes close before he delivered the punch, but couldn't stop til after. That was it. Tavros' body slumped over, dribbling bronze blood. The fight was won. "K.O.!" The announcer hollered to the delight of the crowd. He entered the ring, hoisting Sollux's hand up. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!"  
Sollux caught his breath and a smile came to him, watching the crowd cheer for him. He won. He didn't let Eridan down. As if he heard his name in Sollux's thoughts, Eridan swung open the door to the cage and joined them, roughing up Sollux's hair a bit more. "You did good, Sol. You did good."  
Loud rock music filled the cavern and the weird clown owner came to the ring, shaking Eridan's hand and just shooting Sollux a glare. He scooped up Tavros and left, two awfully large men waiting outside the ring for him. Again, Sollux thanked his stars he wasn't facing one of the Makaras. Eridan pulled him from the announcer to the awaiting Dualscar, Cronus, and Mituna. Dualscar gave him a gruff smile. "You won, kid." he said, and Sollux knew that was probably the best he was going to get.  
"Greta job outta there," Mituna stuttered, grinning like a proud six year old, which really was all he was. Cronus just kind of nodded. 

On the walk home, Sollux's adrenaline finally ran out and he felt overwhelmingly tired but satisfied. He won. He did it. Yeah, it was only the first of many fights, but he won it. It was past dark, the wind dropping the temperature a few degrees. It was cloudless and beautiful, an overall great night. Hell fucking yes. _Hell fucking yes._  
They got back to the Ampora household, Mituna and Sollux instinctively heading around the back to their quarters. Sollux was interrupted by Eridan pulling him by his shoulder back onto the path into the house. "Sir?"  
"I said you'd get somethin' if you won, did I not?" Eridan replied, pushing Sollux in in front of him.  
 _Should I be concerned?_


	2. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so, a wee bit of smut.  
> Sollux gets a bit of a surprise after the fight.  
> wink wink wonk  
> enjoy this masterpiece

Sollux felt exhausted, but delighted he won the fight. Eridan was winding a way through some hallway or other, but Sollux was more curious as to where they were going. _Eridan said it was some sort of surprise? This should be interesting._  
Eridan finally dropped his hand outside of a black door. Sollux assumed it was his, but there was no way to tell, because it was empty except the purple Aquarius sign. It could've been Cronus' or Dualscar's, but he thought it was safe to assume it was Eridan's. Eridan pushed open the door and confirmed Sollux's thought process: it was definitely his. The walls were a darker teal, a window composed of other rectangular windows on one side, purple furniture and statues of wizards and military leaders scattered about the room. A looming bookcase stood next to the door, a very dangerous looking blue weapon perched against the window, piles of coins, jewels, and broken wands every here and there, and a big grey recuperacoon against the wall. Sollux didn't know much about actual troll culture, but he knew what a recuperacoon was, and he also knew that he actually preferred not to spend his unconscious hours in that goo. But what intrigued Sollux the most was why such a proud troll would have a large, grandiloquent bed with lush purple sheets and pillows in the equally large corner. Beds were generally for slaves and the section of trolls who wished to associate with some dumb race many hipsters had become infatuated with. He didn't have Eridan pegged in either of those categories, but what did he know about trends and all that? He didn't even own a damn shirt.  
"Uh, sir," Sollux began, watching Eridan lock the door behind them, "what exactly are you planning?"  
"I said I had a surprise, would it be a surprise if I told you?" he replied, digging through various stacks and drawers. "Go lie in the bed."  
Sollux nodded and ventured to the bed, pressing a palm into the mattress. It flowed beneath his fingertips, rippling like there was liquid beneath the surface. He was curious to see if all beds had this feature, but he decided it better to keep his mouth closed until his master figured whatever he was doing out.  
So, he situated himself in the blankets, finding it all too comfortable. He could've died there and felt good about it. Eridan was digging through some other drawer now, Sollux tried to force his eyes to stay open. The efforts were noble, but alas, fruitless. The sleep yanking at the back of his mind won out, and when he blinked his body refused to reopen his eyes.

"Alright, Sol-" Eridan turned around, satisfied with his findings. "Oh."  
Sollux was asleep, already snoring quietly.  
"I guess you are pretty tired, eh?" he chuckled softly, slipping into pajamas. He went closer to the bed, finding that either Sollux did not know how to function a blanket or was too tired to care; he wasn't beneath the sheets, just tied up in them. Eridan tugged away the blankets and settled him in properly, sliding in next to him and nuzzling into his shoulder slightly.  
"Thank you," he murmured into his slave's hair. There was no way Sollux could hear him, but it made him feel better to thank him rather than just take full on advantage over the fact that he owned him, literally. With that, he let sleep take him, too. 

Sollux woke up reluctantly, feeling almost too cozy to actually exist. His bed was so soft- wait. Wait. His bed wasn't soft, it was itchy and smelly. If this wasn't his bed, then-  
He sat up with a start, snapping open his eyes. No, this was definitely not his room. He surveyed it, recognizing it as Eridan's. "Oh my, fuck."  
The events of last night were clear as day, up until midway through the walk home. Something about a surprise?  
"Hey, language." Eridan's voice came from somewhere in the room. Sollux forced himself from the dwaal sleep left him in and spotted his master against his bookshelf, missing his glasses but watching Sollux. He pushed back his hair. _great._  
"Sir! I'm so sorry, why am I here? You know, nevermind, I'm so sorry, I'll just-" he scurried out of bed and quickly began attempting to re-make the bed as neatly as possible.  
"Sol, you're fine. You're not in trouble. Don't you remember?" Eridan pushed himself from the bookcase and approached the bed, guiding Sollux's hands to stop trying to fucking fold everything. "I brought you here."  
"Oh," he replied shortly, looking down. "Why? I probably smell so, so bad."  
"How bad is your memory? I promised you something if you won." he added, "But yeah, you smell like a farm."  
Sollux grinned slightly. "Thanks. What is it? Sleeping? Thank you so much for that, master, even if it wasn't the prize thing."  
"No, that wasn't it. You just fell asleep. But that's okay." _if that wasn't it, then what was?_  
"So, I, uh, I guess you want me back to my quarters, then?" Sollux asked, ready to escape.  
"Nope, you're fine here," Eridan answered, and began running a hand over his chest. Sollux wasn't exactly flustered, just confused. And he wished he had a shirt, although he had to admit the gentle trails of Eridan's nails did not feel all that bad. Especially when they passed over his yellow grub scars, with more pressure. He bit his lip, stifling the sensation to just melt, and looked up to Eridan's eyes. They were locked on his hands grazing Sol's chest.  
"Eri-um, sir," he started, not exactly a protest because, well, why the hell would he protest this?  
"Shut up, Sol," Eridan growled in return, bringing his lips close to Sollux's ear. His hands paused on the other's chest, curling into one spot. After a few, stretched out seconds, he bit down gently on the shell of his slave's ear, mainly just holding it between his teeth whilst running a tongue over it. Sollux's eyes drifted shut, letting Eridan move from his ear to his jaw. Wasting no time, the violet blood pushed him, by his shoulders, against the bed, latching onto his collarbone and sucking at it. It was a shame that leaving marks probably meant Sollux would have to wear a shirt for a while, but Eridan guessed it was worth it. He's been waiting long enough to fuck him anyway, might as well do it right.  
Sollux felt his bulges begin to unsheathe the smallest bit, nook beginning to grow slick. Eridan left several yellow hickeys, mainly along his collarbone, and apparently made his goal to lick every inch of his chest, because that's exactly what he was doing. Soaking Sollux's tough chest in hot, violet saliva. And it was fucking great. He paused at the top of the other's britches, teasing with a few nips to the skin, then slid off the rough fabric.  
The tips of his bulges showed, almost like they were testing the air. Eridan pressed a palm against Sollux's nook, sliding in the pad of one finger and rubbing it slightly, working to extract his bulges completely.  
"Eridan, damn," Sollux murmured, avoiding other choice words. Eridan continued his slight massaging with one hand, leaning up to be nose-to-nose with Captor.  
"It's master, to you," he whispered, and left another yellow bite against his chest. He then deemed Sollux's bulges ready and crawled back down, sliding his fingers out. The two writhed in the open air, searching for warmth and dampness. Eridan was more than happy to help by lowering his head and pulling one into his mouth.  
A shiver rippled through Sollux's body at the contact, lurching his hips further into Eridan. He locked his feet behind the sea dweller's head in an attempt to push him closer. Eridan licked around the bulge currently running over his teeth and exploring all parts of his mouth, while the other one left trails of sticky yellow up the sides of his face and fins, begging for attention. Disgusting. He was so going to have to shower after this. _focus, eridan, focus._  
He pulled back as far as Sollux's intertwined ankles would let him, allowing the tip of the second bulge to prod into his mouth. Slowly, he lowered himself further down the shafts, taking as much as he could. Sollux panted heavily, punctuated by small grunts or "oh!"s. Eridan just felt so damn _good._ He tried to control his hips, but his body craved more contact and his pelvis continuously jumped into Eridan's face, forcing him deeper. The bucking made him feel incredibly off balance, and the only possible idea he could fathom to stabilize himself would be Eridan's horns. So, he gripped the base of both, one in each hand, and it had a sort of opposite effect. Instead of tethering him to something, the horn-grabbing made it easier to face-fuck him. He could feel his bulges tickle the cavern at the back of his throat and knew that he should probably stop pushing further, but couldn't. His body was in control now. He just rolled his head back, letting curses mixed with mewls of "m-master" fall from his lips.  
Eridan found the spot where the two bulges diverged and ran his tongue over it. It must've been a weak spot, another tremor passed through Sollux. He felt a small charge travel through his horn at the shiver from Sollux's lack of psionics control when pleasured. At least, it was either uncontrollable or Sollux was damn smart, because holy hell did those small little shocks work for him. Especially when they were paired with a moan of "master." Yes, this was all very, very good. Except, maybe the part where Sollux also lacked control of his thrusts, which made a simple blow job into full on, messy face-fucking. It was hot, and that did work for him, too, as much as he hated to admit it. His bulge had already came unsheathed as well, anxiously soaking through his pajamas. Eridan took one hand off Sollux's hips and slid it down the front of his pants, working his own bulge. Instead of lapping at the convergence again, Eridan closed his jaws around it, digging his sharp teeth in slightly. That earned him a very drawn out groan, and the pulling of his horns down, closer to Sollux's body, until his nose touched Sol's gut.  
"Mast-ter, please," Sollux panted, grinding desperately. "I h-have to releas-se."  
His stomach's sensation had built up, ready to burst. Eridan moaned slightly around the bulges, licking them all over and feeling them slide around his straight teeth and tangle with his tongue. He applied a large amount of suction, pulling back slightly, then bobbing back down as Sollux shook and released, yellow flooding his mouth. It was a lot, Eridan doing his best to drink it up. It didn't taste that awful, surprisingly. He coughed out a groan, rolling his eyes back, and coming as well into the palm of his hand. Sollux kept his grip on the base of his horns though, breathing heavily with fluttering eyelids. Prying off Sol's hands from his horns, he crawled up the bed and planted a very sloppy kiss on the other's lazily hung open mouth, transferring a mouthful of genetic material into it. Sollux swallowed and opened his eyes, tousling Eridan's hair and playing his thumb at he corner of his lips, wiping off a drip of yellow. The whole of Eridan's lower face was covered in it, so the little contribution made no difference, but whatever.  
"I'm goin' to go shower and get all this shit off a'me. Want to come?" Eridan asked, pushing off the bed and halfway to some door Sollux didn't notice before but assumed led to a wash room. He nodded, waving Eridan away.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be right there." He sat up, roughing up his own sweaty hair. Getting himself together, he managed to follow Eridan into the wash room, which had a gigantic glass shower with at least four different shower heads and a ten foot long bathtub right next to it. It made sense, the Amporas do love their water. They were sea dwellers by nature, so it was to be expected, really. Eridan was standing in the center of the room, unbuttoning his nightshirt.  
"So, you decided to join me?" he didn't look up when he spoke, rather just continued to slide off his shirt and toss it to the side. His torso was longer and lean, rather than Sollux's, whose chest was shorter but burlier. It was a pale grey, tinted violet, with flaring gills like cuts just beneath his rib cage. It was a fucking nice chest. It made Sollux want to just press his lips against it and taste it, run his tongue all over- wait. He was not thinking this. Thinking what? He doesn't know, he wasn't thinking about it. He most definitely was not thinking about the cries of pleasure that would fall from those dark lips, or the expression that would take over his face when he reached a really high climax. No, especially not that.  
"What are you starin' at?"  
"What? Nothing, sir, I wasn't thinking about anything," Sollux stammered, broken from certain fantasies he was entertaining.  
"I didn't ask what you were thinkin' about," Eridan replied suspiciously. "I asked what you were starin' at."  
"I wasn't staring at anything, either, I was just, fuck, you know, thinking."  
"I thought you said you weren't thinkin' about anyfin? Watch the language." he smirked, enjoying the blush that was crawling on Sollux's cheeks.  
"It's not that! I was thinking, but it wasn't about anything Ampora. Shit, no, I meant important! Oh, fuck," Sollux gave up, cheeks a furious yellow, and not from prior activities.  
Eridan nodded, a taunting glint in his eyes and a quirked eyebrow. "You were thinkin' a'me, then? And I thought I said to watch your fuckin' language."  
"No! It wasn't about you!"  
"Are you lyin'? To your _master?_ "  
"Y-yes, sir. I was thinking about you. You're right," Sollux said in a defeated voice.  
"You shouldn't be that embarrassed about it. I was just teasin'. Plus, I just sucked your bulges. Which you have two of, for some reason." Eridan peeled off purple stained pajama pants, left in also purple stained boxers, and twisted knobs until the showerheads sputtered and started gushing water. Steam coiled off the water and he motioned for him to come closer. "Well, don't just stand there."  
Already stripped of his one layer of clothing, Sollux complied and moved to his master's side, ready to help with whatever needed aiding. Eridan tugged off his boxers, too, and stepped into the nearly separate room, rinsing off his face. Sollux watched, waiting for a command of some sort.  
"Captor. What the fuck are you just standin' there for?" Eridan paused.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean, get in here, you fucker."  
"Isn't it hot?" No way was Sollux climbing in scalding water. The "baths" he got, which were a tub of lukewarm water dumped upon his head, were enough for him.  
"It's not gonna burn you, Sol," Eridan groaned, rolling his eyes. "Just get in."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes, I'm absolutely positive the water that I am currently fuckin' standin' in is not gonna burn you. Step in." Sollux put a hesitant foot beneath the stream, testing. It was hot, but it felt pretty safe. He took a full step in. The water fell onto his body, webbing across his face. He gasped, the heat dribbling into his mouth. It was _great._ The way it ran off all the ridges in his body, warming him completely, the way it plastered his hair to his face that was totally different from a single burst of water. He stood there, mouth gaping open, soaking the water in, watching it dart down his limbs and shoot off his fingertips. Its movement was mesmerizing.  
"I've never seen this much water in one place before," he mused.  
Eridan watched him in his amazed stupor. It hurt him, the way it perplexed Sollux, because he had never had this experience before, and Eridan took it for granted every day. This poor kid has never had a hot shower, or even seen a hot shower. Eridan's family had done this, and it made him feel kind of awful. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Sol, digging his face into the back of his shoulder. "I'm sorry."  
"What?" Sollux replied, tilting his head to look at Eridan, but not enough to get knocked in the head by a horn. "Why are you apologizing?"  
"Nothing- I'm just sorry," he murmured into the wet skin.  
"Oh... okay? Sir, are you feeling alright?"  
"I'm fine." he gave the shoulder a kiss and straightened out, letting his arms swing back to his side. "I was just thinkin', too."  
"Mhm, and what about?"  
"I'm the only one who can pull that trick, Captor," Eridan replied, giving him a dull look. Sollux gave a slight snicker.  
"I thought so. Worth a shot."  
"Remember your place."  
"I know my place."  
As a reply, Eridan nodded and turned to the gushing water above him, producing a shampoo bottle from a shelf and scrubbing it into his scalp, whereas the other just watched the water gather around his feet and pool when he cupped his palms.

"Master, how long do you spend in the shower?" Sollux asked after what seemed like a few years. He was waiting patiently while Eridan pampered himself in all the different ways under the suns, using this soap and that one. The shower was fascinating at first, but his fingers were starting to get weird and wrinkly and strange overall.  
"You can be done. Towels are on the counter just across from the shower." the violetblood gestured to stacks of, you guessed it, violet towels. Nodding, Sollux stepped out, his body immediately craving the steaming water again. He ignored the urges to get back in and spend the rest of his days on the slick floor of the showers and retrieved a towel. The towels were softer than a baby animal. He figured that the Amporas, somewhere along the way, came into contact with Satan and sold some innocent dude's soul to get these towels, as well as the blankets. Before actually moving, he stood there, brushing his face with the towel repeatedly. Only after that did he actually dry himself off and venture back into the bedroom to find his pants. He stepped into the room, towel draped around his neck, and yelped. Cronus was standing in the center of the room, his hands on his hips.  
"S-sir!" he squeaked out, bowing. Cronus turned to look surprised at him, honestly not expecting him to be there.  
"Captor?"  
"Yes, sir?"  
"Why are you- on second thought, you don't look all that bad naked." he took a step closer, face splitting into a wide grin.  
"Much appreciated, sir." Sollux forced a nod, leaning away from him.  
"Now, come on, why are ya evwen here? You can follow me back to my room, and I vwon't tell no one where you were." He opened his mouth to say no, as politely as he could, when a voice came from behind him.  
"Cro, you pile a sleaze, get outta here." Eridan stood in the doorway, his own towel hanging from his hips. Cronus rolled his eyes.  
"C'mon, I was jus' havwing some fun," he whined dramatically.  
"Out. You're not even allowed in my room."  
"I'm your cod damn father, show me a little respect here, kid." he folded his arms, staring at Eridan.  
"You're a terrible dad. You didn't even raise me. You're trying to fuck my slave. You don't deserve _respect_. Get. Out. Of. My. Room."  
Cronus adjusted his leather jacket, rolling his neck to crack it. He hesitated when turning towards the door, and abruptly swiveled to punch Sollux in the face. He stumbled backwards, holding his jaw tightly. With that, Cronus left with a _hmph._ Eridan caught the off-balanced Sollux, making sure he didn't fall over. He checked quickly if he was still fine, then went after his father down the hall.  
"Cronus! You immature, brine-suckin', human trash! How old are you?!" he called, easily catching up to him.  
He paused his sashaying. "What did you call me?"  
"A fuckin' immature, brine-suckin', human trash," Eridan repeated.  
"Yeah, I heard you, I was jus' making shore you were talking to me."  
"A' course I was talkin' to you."  
Cronus grunted at him, quietly but still audible. He looked down at the blotch of yellow on his clenched fist, then reeled it back and made to hit Eridan. Eridan, who was prepared for the asshole to make such a move, grabbed his fist in the air and used it as leverage to keep Cronus from doing anything while he gave him a few hard hits to his softer stomach. The last one caused him to gag out a bit of blood, his body sliding down the wall when Eridan released him.  
"Don't mess with my fuckin' stuff." he growled, kicking his side to slump him over. Brushing off his palms, he corrected the towel that had slipped looser, and walked back into his room. Sollux saw the whole thing from the doorway, and decided to don his pants and stand quietly against the wall. Eridan approached him, taking a firm grip of his jaw and tilting it, examining the slightly yellowed area and bleeding lip. He muttered a "huh" and dropped Sol's face, moving back to sit on his bed.  
"You can go now."  
Sollux bit back a smile. "Okay. Bye, sir."  
"Sol?"  
"Yes?"  
"Don't forget, we're not friends."  
"Yes, sir." he left, walking past a dejected Cronus back to his quarters. At long last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for those of you who are hardcore smut readers like myself, they will go further.  
> i mean come on.  
> of course they will.


	3. Alike

Sollux entered his quarters to see Mituna wolfing down a sloppy joe of sorts, with the runny “meat” supplied by the Amporas dripping out of two slices of dry bread. His bright eyes flicked up to the doorway, a dorky grin forming around the bite. He swallowed harshly. “Where’ve you been?”  
“I had to speak with Eridan about some things. Nothing important, really,” Sollux replied and sat across the fire pit from him, resting his elbows on his knees. Mituna just shrugged his shoulders, taking another messy bite from his sandwich and dripping whatever kind of sauce was on the meat.  
“Why are you are you wet?” he asked after swallowing again.  
“Oh, I, uh, I had to help with one of the showers. They couldn’t get it going,” he lied, watching the fading undertones of orange beneath the coals in the fire pit. “You know what? I should go to bed.”  
“It’s only one in the bafternoon, though.”  
“I’m tired, alright?” Sollux snapped, sounding harsher than he meant to. “I’m just tired.”  
“You’re gonna fuck up your fuck up your sleep schedule,” Mituna called as Sollux walked into the back room. He sighed and lied on the straw cot, gazing up at the ceiling. A small black bug ticked its way across, capturing his absent stare. About three million thoughts swam through his head, all including Eridan. He made him feel slightly less alone, whether he meant to or not. He repeatedly told himself: it was a one time thing. That it didn't mean anything, that he didn't _want_ it to mean anything.  
His mind toyed with ideas a little further, before deciding he had to find out.

Sitting at the counter in one of the kitchens, Eridan sipped a cup of coffee and mindlessly read a book. He heard someone walk in and yank his shoulder back, tearing him away from his novel. “What the hell?”  
His cry was returned with a glare from Cronus, who was also sporting a cut lip. “I should be asking you vwhat the hell after you attacked me in the hallvway earlier.”  
“Cro, if I remember properly, which I do, you were messin’ with my stuff.”  
“I teased him a bit, yeah, but he’s a slave,” he replied with an eye roll.  
“You think I don’t know that? A’course he’s a slave, but he’s _my_ slave, which means _my_ property. So you can’t touch him, or punch him just because you fucked up yours,” Eridan snapped, forcing out of Cronus’ grip and returning to his book.  
“Yeah, and you’re my son, so technically I have rights to him.” He pulled him back around.  
“I thought you didn’t believe in the whole blood caste system, anyway. Don’t you remember the temper tantrum you threw after you lost?” he broke with a snicker, mocking Cronus’ voice. “I don’t need the stupid system. Who evwen came up vwith it? It’s fucking dumb and unnecessary.”  
Cronus’ cheeks flushed purple with anger, his fins flaring out in warning. “So vwhat if I said some of those things? That vwas a vwhile ago. Fuggedaboutit.”  
“Oh, did I make you upset?” Eridan said mock-innocently. “I’m so sorry. Maybe you should jus’ leave my stuff alone next time, a’right?”  
“You’re pretty protective ovwer the vweasel. Is that why you’re constantly sneaking food to him? And vworking all those ‘jobs’ late at night?” The older raised an eyebrow, while it was Eridan’s turn to turn purple.  
“You- that has nothin' to do with this! Shut your fuckin’ trap!” he yelled, slamming his book closed and causing the cup of coffee to tremble.  
“’Oh, did I make you upset? I’m so sorry’, maybe you should show some god damn respect next time,” Cronus snarled back, mimicking Eridan’s voice. Eridan stood from the stool, matching Cronus’ height and balling his fists.  
“I’ll make you sorry, you worthless human-“  
“Enough,” Dualscar commanded, stomping into the room. They both backed down, fins flattening against their skulls. “Honestly, you two brats act more like siblings. I can hear your bickerin’ in the other room.”  
Eridan folded his arms tightly, looking away. Cronus quietly murmured, “Do something about it, then, almighty.”  
“What did you just say?” the Orphaner growled, taking a step closer to Cronus, who widened his eyes.  
“Nothing, I didn’t say a single thing.” He replied quickly, fidgeting and struggling to meet Dualscar’s eyes.  
“No, you said something. Spit it out, kid.”  
Eridan shot him a warning glare. Cronus bit his lip as Dualscar gripped him by the chin, holding his face up.  
“Come along now, haven't you learned what happens when you hide things from me?”  
Another glare from Eridan. By refusing to answer, he was worsening both their punishments.  
“I said, do something about it, almighty,” he mumbled, breaking eye contact in favor of the ground.  
Raising a hand, the eldest brought it down onto the side of Cronus' head. He crumbled to his knees with a quiet whimper, knowing enough not to try to protect himself. "I'm sorry.."  
"I know you are." he smacked him again, causing his body to waver slightly as he kneeled. Then, Dualscar turned to Eridan, who was frozen, watching him. "What was this about?"  
"He was messin' w-with my stuff. An' we got in a fight, and he's still pissy over it," Eridan replied with an even stare. He focused on trying not to show any emotion or fear; he didn't care about Dualscar, the man who didn't pay attention to him for his whole life. However, his body seemed to disagree, his legs attempting to run off on their own, heart pounding louder than drums in a marching band.  
Dualscar narrowed his eyes. "Mm. That why he's a bit banged up?"  
The other just nodded.  
"You ain't supposed to hit your old man."  
A head shake, no.  
"But, you did."  
"He hits me." his voice was a bit unsteady, but sharp.  
"He's allowed to."  
"No, he's fuckin' not. What gives him that power over me?" fists clenched, he knew he was in too deep, but his blood was too hot to relax.  
"Cronus is your father, he will treat you how he sees fit."  
"An' if I don't agree?"  
"Then, you can shut the fuck up and sit the fuck down, because it's not your choice." the Orphaner took a step closer, completely kicking Cronus out of the way. "Or, you can get your filthy ass out of my house."  
"It should be my choice! It's my body, you don't get to-" Eridan was cut off mid-sentence by a brisk slap. His mouth fell open in a gasp, head tilted down, glasses sliding off. The rings adorning Dualscar's fingers drew blood, leaving three main slits, each dripping violet.  
"I said, sit down or get out," he seethed. Swallowing a whimper, Eridan simply grabbed his book and fallen glasses and left. He went to his room, quietly clicking the door shut and sliding down the back of it. 

Tears pricked at his eyes, but he shook his head in an effort to dismiss them. It was no use, his throat felt like it had a knot in it, and he couldn't stop the hot tears if he tried. His breathing hitched into uncontrollable sobbing, chest violently shaking as sat, knees to his chest, against the door. The salty mixture burned his new scratches, but he couldn't care less. Blood pumping and his own gasping filled his ears, except for... footsteps?  
He forced his eyes open, though his vision was blurred without glasses and filled with tears. There was a figure in front of him, standing in a light from his bathroom he didn't realize was on. Shaking his head, he brushed his face off with the back of his hand so he could see better. Sollux -it had to be Sollux- was standing there, mouth covered, expression a mix between pity and fright. "S-sir?"  
"Sol, now-w's an aw-wful time," he half-hiccuped, looking away and squeezing his eyes shut again. "Get out."  
"I- do you need any help?" Sollux offered, a tad nervously.  
"J-just get out. Nothin' you can do." his voice cracked, another sob racking his body.  
The other began to take a step forward, then paused. "You're, uh, you're in front of the door."  
Eridan nodded shakily, rising to unsteady legs and yanking the door open. "Go on, then."  
Sollux gave a curt nod and started out the door.  
"W-wait!" the words came before he could stop them, thrusting out one hand to grab Sollux's retreating shoulder. What was he doing? He didn't need anyone to help him, he could handle this whole thing just fine. He'd been alone long enough, this was no different- "Stay, w-with me."  
Turning, Sollux gave him a slightly quizzical look that melted into a soft one. He nodded, taking the few steps back. Eridan shut the door and wrapped his arms around the other's neck, the heavy sobs returning. Sollux hugged him back, gently working his fingers through his hair. _So, this is what it's like to care?_ he wondered, whereas Eridan, who nuzzled in a little closer, tears dying out slowly, wondered if this was what it was like to be cared about.

At some point, after he had calmed down, Eridan led Sollux over to the bed and lied down, pulling him close, no longer giving a shit about castes, just not wanting to lose the affection. He faced the other, with his knees tucked to his chest and Sol's hand on his cheek.  
"You stopped bleeding," Sollux murmured, rubbing the injured cheek lightly. "What happened?"  
"Blood clots naturally, Sol. Ain't nothin' to w-worry about," Eridan replied with a weak smile. The other rolled his eyes, jokingly.  
"Oh, really? Thanks, scientist." he gave a small chuckle. "What made it bleed?"  
"It w-was my fault..." he hiccuped, keeping down further tears. "Ain't nothin' big neither."  
"Then why were you crying?"  
It was silent for a second, Eridan looking away.  
He blushed slightly yellow and shook his head. "No, forgive me, I'm out far out of line. It wasn't my place to ask."  
"No, you're fine. I just, sometimes, I feel like it's just me in the house, me an' a pair a' sharks who'll nip me if I make a wrong turn," he said with a sad shrug. "I dunno. Just lonely, w-with two others who don't give a shit 'less I say somethin' they find to be offendin'."  
Sollux nodded, letting the hand on his cheek still. "I know how that feels; I'm sorry."  
The others expression softened in a slight gasp, purple tears threatening to spill over again. "You do, don't you? W-we've treated you worse than that. I can't, I'm so s-"  
"Don't be sorry, it's how the system works, and that's fine. It wasn't your idea." he returned with a slight smile. "Anyway, it's not like that matters. You should get some sleep."  
"Sleep? What time is it?" Eridan glanced towards the window. The sky had fallen to darkness, a star here and there. Unfolding his knees, he cuddled in closer, closing his eyes. "Yeah, and you should, too." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cheesy ending featuring soft fluff cuddling.  
> i'm not sorry.


	4. Put on Your Warpaint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smokin' hot babes.
> 
> This is the shortest chapter I've ever written, so don't really get your hopes up for something great. Read chapter notes for more detail on that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (semi) important message:  
> this is so, SO short. I know, and I'm sorry I didn't write any more, especially since I haven't updated in eight years, give or take. This is so short though because I just want to let anyone reading this know that a. I'm such a procrastinator. I would keep up an update schedule, but I overall suck. and b. the next good update might be a while, because I'm going back over what I have written of this to fill plot holes and patch up some really bad out of character moments. and also c. I am desperately -DESPERATELY- in need of a beta. I've a nasty habit of skipping words without realizing it, and this whole thing is probably chock-full of some awkward ass phrases and misspellings. so if you're in love with reading first, gross drafts, HMU, because I need one. 
> 
> so, of course, thanks for listening to my rant and thanks for reading. I plan to update more to finish developing plot & all that gay relationship stuff.  
> lov u.

Eridan awoke first, delighted to find himself warm and comfortable. He settled in again and decided to refuse to wake up.  
This was his decision before he realized he was with someone.

He yelped and tried to find a way out, only achieving a tangle of blankets around his legs. However, the only thing on his mind was to _get the fuck out._ His mind couldn't quite specify a reason for the urgency, but he was downright determined to get off the bed. So, he continued to squirm until he threw himself over the edge.  
With all the chaos being caused, it of course woke up Sollux, who sat up and squinted to see what was happening. He peered over the edge where Eridan was lying, defeated, in a puddle of blankets he brought down with him. Assuming it was his fault _somehow,_ he scurried off the bed and tried to help him up, muttering apologies and quieter curses. As soon as he reached a hand towards Eridan, the other just stared at him, taken aback and rather horrified.

"Do you need help up?" Sollux asked, something close to genuine care in his eyes. Eridan's expression stayed the same, if anything, it crossed with more fear upon remembering things said. _He knows, he knows, and he's fucking **pitying** me. I don't need **his** pity._  
"Get the fuck out," he hissed, drawing his legs closer to his body. " _Now._ "  
With a silent nod, Sollux was dismissed and left the room to go back to his quarters. Eridan shuddered, pulling the blankets around him and over his head to bury himself in the pile. "Great," he groaned aloud to himself. "This is great."

Nestled in his blanket heap, he stewed in his own anger. He was pissed at Cronus for causing _another_ fuss last night, he was pissed at Sollux for being in his room and catching him at a bad time, which led to him being pissed at himself for letting his guard down way too far in an already vulnerable state, which brought the circle back to fucking Cronus. Eridan sat up with a start, strewing blankets everywhere.

He knew Cronus left his door unlocked, and he knew it'd be easy to steal from him, but he never thought he'd do it. Never thought he'd sink low enough.

  
Yet Eridan still pushed open the door and crept in as quietly as the floor would allow. The room was a wreck with clothes thrown everywhere, some not even Cro's. The layout of the room was similar to his own, albeit lacking the recuperacoon and fish tank. He prodded open the bathroom door and slipped into there.  
Everything in the bathroom matched the bedroom in its state. The counter was cluttered with hair product and cologne, a loose t-shirt here or there, possibly used towels filling any available space. The whole scene was rather appalling.  
Eridan scanned over the room, and hell, even the showers were a mess. The glass walls and white-washed floors held trails and stains of violet, almost as if from Cronus' own blood.  
But he wasn't going to think about that, no.

  
Turning quickly from the showers, he scoured the counter-top again and this time found what he was looking for. While Cronus went out with the old (or, older) man, he never brought his dumb cigarettes, which he actually had _two_ of now, unless he wanted to get one smacked right out of his mouth. So, he left them laying out on his bathroom counter, right within Eridan's reach.  
He produced the book of matches he had searched for earlier. With trembling hands, Eridan dragged the red head of the match against the striking board. First time failed to catch, and he kept trying until the wood splintered between his fingers. On the second match, he managed to produce a flame, and he then put one of the cigarettes between his lips and held the lit match against the end. It sparked before holding a steady light. A small curl of smoke trailed into the air.

  
Unsure of how exactly to smoke, he took a large suck of the cigarette. Immediately, the smoke crawled down his throat, clogging his gills, and bringing a bitter taste to his mouth. He gagged, the cigarette falling to the tile and him with it. Eridan hacked and coughed enough to make his eyes water, while the cigarette sat upon the floor, its only expression a thin trail of smoke leaking from the ashen tip. He started to catch his breath again and sat up, one hand still on his throat.

  
Despite his reaction, he found himself reaching forward and picking up the thing again, standing up to brace against the counter. He put it in his mouth again, inhaling gently this time. He coughed anyways, but it was lighter, and in the mirror he saw a path of smoke coming from his mouth and the slits on the side of his neck. He had to be doing _something_ right.  
Lord, will Cronus be pissed.  
That fact and the bitter taste in his mouth that was screaming for another kept him going, and he took another drag and only cleared his throat, watching the smoke curl from his lips and into the air.  
Specks of ash trickled to the ground, and after another puff the cigarette was dead. It left his throat thick and mouth disgusted, but Eridan reached for the other and held it in his lips with more confidence, striking a third match and setting it ablaze. He was as good as dead already, why stop?  
Watching the reflection of a sickly, tired looking sea dweller, he inhaled again and was mesmerized by the trails of smoke dissipating into the air. So mesmerized, in fact, that he didn't hear the door open. Didn't even notice when footsteps approached the bathroom door. 

" _Eridan._ "

His name didn't quite make him freeze up, rather, he felt calm. He turned to look at the doorway, where Cronus was standing, hands curled into fists at his sides, and behind him, Dualscar, looking more intrigued than anything. Eridan set the cigarette between the tips of his index and middle fingers and took it from his lips. Smoke spilled from his words as he replied, "Yes?"

"Who the fuck do you think you are?"


End file.
